William Woods University

First, a clarification: It's true that students at Missouri's William Woods University soon will be able to earn big tuition breaks simply by having fun. But not every kind of fun qualifies. Keg-party fun does not. Nor does Ping-Pong-with-the-roomie fun. Veg-out-by-the-TV fun won't cut it either. No, this small liberal arts college will knock nearly 40% off its tuition only for students who have the kind of fun that enhances an education or boosts campus spirit.

First, a clarification: It's true that students at Missouri's William Woods University soon will be able to earn big tuition breaks simply by having fun. But not every kind of fun qualifies. Keg-party fun does not. Nor does Ping-Pong-with-the-roomie fun. Veg-out-by-the-TV fun won't cut it either. No, this small liberal arts college will knock nearly 40% off its tuition only for students who have the kind of fun that enhances an education or boosts campus spirit.

To hear Orange County teenagers tell it, spending two weeks slaving over a grill, picking up trash or directing traffic at the county fair is tradition: It's just what you do every summer. Becky Bailey-Findley, chief executive and general manager of the fair, estimates that 30% of its employees are teenagers. "This becomes a good place to make some quick money," she said. Some teenagers pay off their first car with their fair wages, or put away money for college.

The gorgeous new dining hall at Lindenwood University serves pizzas hot from a wood-fired oven, turkey breast carved to order by a chef, platters of fresh-baked cookies and pie. But it's the pork chops dished out at the steaming Comfort Food Station that keep junior Benton Haines in school. It's not that he particularly likes them -- he's picky about his meals -- but the pork chops are paying his tuition.